Edward de Bono

Our brain works as a pattern-making and pattern-using system. First pattern is difficult to form. Once formed, this pattern is reinforced with further incoming patterns.

Over the passage of time there are a large number of well-established patterns and it becomes increasingly difficult to form new patterns.

Making new patterns is the key to creating new things. Lateral Thinking tools make creating new patterns a step by step process.

This is the model of brain that Edward de Bono gave us in his book ‘Mechanism of Mind‘. This model explains how our thinking habits, creativity, learning abilities, decision making skills are all triggered.

Enhancing our Thinking Skills

When we know how something works, we can usually take better control of it. Same is true for our brain. Based upon this model, we can be more creative (Lateral Thinking), improve our thinking skills (Thinking tools), better understand and control different type of thinking involved in our day to day lives (Six Thinking Hats).

These new thinking skills (Lateral Thinking, Thinking Tools, Six Thinking Hats) are all based upon this new model of how our brain works.

Effectiveness of teaching thinking skills can be judged from a single evidence which deBono describes on his website. “In one mine, fights between the tribes working there were reduced from 210 a month to just four through the direct teaching of my thinking methods to totally illiterate miners.“

The Need for New Thinking

The need for new thinking is aptly explained by this quote of Albert Einstein. “The problems of today will not be solved by the same thinking that produced the problems in the first place.“